On August 1 on an intercity bus in the province of Manitoba, Canada, a middle aged man suddenly attacked the youth who happened to be sitting beside him. The attack was random, neither man knew the other, and the attacker had changed seats at least once since boarding the bus about two hours earlier. He repeatedly stabbed his victim, then after being sealed into the bus by the driver (once other passengers were all safely outside) he cut off the victimʼs head to show it off. He did all this, just as it is described of the murderer in Santorini, in a calm, methodical way.
What is interesting is not the incident itself, but the reporting of it and the subsequent hue and cry. Many newspapers and television newscasts have reported what happened using provocative language better suited to horror novels, and have invited readers specifically to air their thoughts on the matter. The Star Phoenix, for example, wrote about a man “waving around a severed head” and then invited readers to “sound off” about “what goes through your mind when you hear about an incident like this? Do we need better security on buses? More screening for mental illness?” (emphasis theirs) The Chronicle Journal spelled out events in gory detail, then brought up the only previous incident of inter-city bus violence anywhere near the region. No matter that it happened eight years ago, the impression a reader is left with is that we have a big problem that needs urgent action.
Newspapers, television and radio newscasters editorialize on the advisability of such government action as creating a knife registry, putting armed police on inter-city busses, and legislating airport-style security at bus stations. Whether the editorial comment is pro or con regarding such extreme measures does not matter, the suggestions create a sense in the people that this is not an isolated incident, that violence on public transportation is something they need to be protected from. Government commentary reinforces that belief with its constant rhetoric about the need for stricter policing, harsher laws and longer minimum sentences, all in the name of public security, and despite many years of falling crime rates across the country.
The Manitoba incident has given Prime Minister Stephen Harper, his ministers, and other government officials a perfect opportunity to reinforce the feeling of vulnerability they have already created in Canadian citizens, and they are taking full advantage of it. Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day implied that government intervention at the highest level is needed when he said, “I can assure people that everything is in full motion and momentum to getting to the bottom of this incident.” Such scare tactics as this have already been used to limit freedom in Canada. The tragedy in Manitoba is another opportunity to soften the public toward proposals that will limit their freedom still further, and the government is taking full advantage of it with the willing participation of the media.
by Eve London, Canada